Marketplace

Eresia's gaze halted in the air as her sister awaits her response to the question. It seems like someone had bitten her and yet Serene doesn't know what it is.

"Have you been bitten by a mosquito?" Serene gasped in worry as she attempted touching it and yet, her sister withdraw herself from her sister's oncoming touch.

Sauntering towards the door, she signaled Serene to follow and she did what she was told to do. They walk along the hallway, being greeted by every servant they encounter.

"Is the carriage prepared?" Eresia asked as Serene nodded in response to her sister. It was followed by silence as they descended to the first platform of the mansion, walking towards the big main door. Serene was still waiting for her sister's response regarding the two marks on her neck and as Eresia noticed the quiet atmosphere occurring in their surroundings, she sighed. "Indeed, it was a mere mosquito that had bitten my neck, Sister. Worries would be meaningless so worry not for it was only a mosquito and nothing else."

Anxiousness still overwhelms Serene's head. She knew what sickness mosquitos bear and her sister seems to be unaware of it. Although, it would be nice not to hold a lot of anxiety since the upcoming celebration would be on the next day.

"Careful on your journey, you two." Lord Thior uttered.

Serene and Eresia nodded their heads as their father kissed both of them on their forehead as a sign of his love for both girls. Yet it only dimmed Eresia's face when she noticed her sister has been given a pat on her head and she stood in receive of only a kiss on her forehead. Enviousness stroke her system as she turned around departing from where they were standing at.

"Hurry, the carriage is waiting." The only thing that Eresia said as she walks finely towards the carriage as she thought her presence was no longer needed in Serene and her father's discussion.

Lord Thior however, ran towards, passing through her daughter Serene to halt Eresia from walking.

"Eresia." He calls in a formal tone. Eresia only sighed in exhaustion in an assumption of being scolded once more by his father and yet it only surprised her as her father placed a daffodil flower over her eyes to serve as a highlight of his own daughter's beauty.

The envy bestowing inside of Eresia had disappeared and she could only feel the joy of gaining the love and attention of his father more than what Serene gained lately.

On the other hand, Serene stared at his father and Eresia with a neutral expression on her face as she suppresses the sadness and jealousy accumulating inside of her. She knew it was unduly wrong to feel jealousy towards others or to manifest a bad character which is why she must hide everything she feels on her own, now that she is about to become an heiress in the near future.

Once both had finished with their affection as Father and Daughter, both Eresia and Serene went inside the carriage as they bid goodbye to their father. Their mother was nowhere to be seen and Serene had only one guess, she is at her garden to take care of her exotic plants.

"Where to, Lady Serene and Lady Eresia?" The chariot asked from outside, his voice slightly faint.

"To the Marketplace please, Mr. Bertram." The chariot mumbled something in a disfigured manner and chuckle in response before he could begin to move the carriage.

Once the carriage was out of Lord Thior's sight, he decided to withdraw from his position to go back inside the mansion. The two sat on their seats, facing each other as the rough road from outside their gate began to settle, moving the carriage abnormally moderate.

"So what dress are you planning to wear, Sister?" Lady Eresia opened so that boredom would perish between the two of them.

The dresses that Serene wores every day are extremely extravagant that currently, she had no idea what to wear next. She wanted new dresses with unique styles, she dislikes taking old-fashioned styles as those styles are already been used by many maidens.

"I still haven't thought of it. However, I wanted to wear new dresses for our celebration so I don't look ill-favored to the guests' sight." Serene uttered and Eresia could only sigh in exhaustion.

Eresia knew ever since they were little that Serene, her big sister does not take old dresses not even from their mother's, and thus, Eresia was the one that always has been given by the old clothes and Serene had a dressmaker to give her new extravagant dresses every occasion.

The silence began to break in once more. Serene was in deep thoughts and so was Eresia. It only took her several minutes to recall what had happened during the meeting when both Lord Jake and her were at the Garden and she couldn't accept the fact that she had been caught by her sister inside the Garden.

As if thorough chains of humiliation were beginning to settle on Serene's face as a tint of red appeared on her cheeks. Eresia, on the other hand, was out of her thoughts as she stared upon outside blankly focusing on the trees the carriage passes by.

Without letting herself be consumed by hesitation, Serene clears her throat, snaring her sister's attention. "I'd like to make an apology about earlier, Eresia," Serene uttered, urging herself to be as formal as the situation was since she dislikes exposing to Eresia how hard it was to suppress the occurring humiliation inside of her.

"I'd like to say sorry regarding of what happened earlier." She repeats looking at her sister. "I know it came to be a repulsive action of mine and truly, the situation you had encountered earlier was revolting and I oath not to bestow you to a displeasing situation once again."

"That would be okay," Eresia uttered in a neutral tone, not daring to look at her sister. "Don't worry... It exists customary to people who are in love. I have no intention upon ruining it similar to telling our mother about it."

Serene felt relieved and yet in doubt of what Eresia had said. It also had surprised her to see Eresia talking to her in a more sensible and more formal way unlike when they were both children, they find themselves laughing at this kind of thing. Eresia had grown up truly into such a fine woman after years of staying at the North Estate to study.

"Thank you." The only thing that Serene managed to say even if she has a lot in mind regarding Eresia's changes.

+++++++++++

Both sisters decided to stay in silence without reopening another topic in between them. Serene only closes her eyes to rest since she could only look at the dull trees from outside that bear boredom inside of her.

They only had been awakened from their brief slumber when the carriage stops in the middle of kissing the rough roads along the way.

"We have arrived, Lady Serene, Lady Eresia." The chariot utters, withdrawing from his seat to open the door for the ladies.

Serene and Eresia were in a hurry to briefly fix themselves since their journey along the circumstances in the rough road disarranged their hair.

"Let's go," Serene uttered, going forth outside the carriage as soon as Mr. Bertram opens the door for them. "Ooh- thank you, Mister Bertram," Serene commented laughing since she was about to fall on her feet a while ago.

"No, thank you, Lady Serene. For I would only be a mere cottar if you haven't taken me in your mansion," He converses in a polite tone as his laugh was also polite.

Once Eresia descended from the carriage, Mr. Bertram closes the door. "I'll be waiting for you here, Lady Serene and Lady Eresia." He jotted down his hat slightly to bid a goodbye to both maidens.

Serene and Eresia began walking with their arms intertwined with each other as Serene waved her hand to Mr. Bertram. "Go thy way, Mr. Bertram."

The market is filled with a moderate number of people by the current time today. There were several shops they come across and yet they were disinterested by the style of dresses shown.

People whom they pass by would look at both of them in awe and the two only seem to be nonchalant towards the behavior of people since they always encounter this occurrence of events when browsing the entire marketplace. Especially that they were known to be the daughters of the owner of the East Estate.

"Oh, look! It's Lady Serene!" A toddler raises his voice pointing in Serene's direction to show his other friends.

The toddlers ascended from the ground and stared at the Lady who was passing by as Lady Serene could only provide them a genuine smile before proceeding towards the next store.

"Woah! Of alle women fairest to behold!" Another toddler compliments yet a questioning look began to settle on his face once his attention was dragged towards the other woman Lady Serene was walking with. "Who is she walking with?" He whispers to his friend and yet it was loud, audible for Serene and her sister.

Once they entered another shop, Serene's laughter that she was suppressing from outside burst out. Eresia could only stare at her sister confused.

"It seems that most of the ton are unfamiliar with your image, Eresia. You truly had grown up." Serene started patting her sister's head.

Eresia could only express the frown on her face as she said nothing since it was obviously true. Serene, on the other hand, was about to utter a statement once more, and yet it was halted when three other maidens entered the shop.

As soon as they saw Lady Serene, they all bowed their heads to greet. "Good'day, Lady Serene and Lady..." the maiden trails off since she was foreign by the lady next to Serene.

"Eresia. She's Lady Eresia."

Maidens were surprised and couldn't process the situation for an entire thirty seconds yet they bowed their heads once more. "Oh! Lady Eresia! We apologize for unrecognizing you, My Lady."

Eresia barely nodded her head. "No, it is alright. Now if you excuse us, we have some matter to attend in a hurry." She lent them a smile before dragging Serene away from the maidens to go towards the merchant's desk as they wait for the merchant to attend them.

Serene found Eresia being rude towards the maiden yet Eresia was not in the mood to speak to other people as she thinks it would only waste their time.

Eresia had rung the bell three times already as they stood waiting in front of the desk. The slight mumblings coming from the three maidens were the only thing keeping them distracted from departing from the shop.

"Have you heard the gossip about the blood-sucking demons?" The maiden asked the two other maidens she was with yet Serene was nonchalant by their topic as she could only stare at the premium dresses from over the desk.

"Blood-sucking demons? I am unfamiliar with it."

"You haven't been reading books, have you, Gale?"

"Oh, I'm always busy with the chores at our cottage, I couldn't lend time towards reading-ow!" Gale winced in pain as the maiden she was talking with slapped her arm.

"You should have read the book I had sent you, Gale."

"Oh I know those blood-sucking demons Agnes is uttering about." The other maiden halted their uprising quarrel. "They are vampires, am I incorrect?"

Flickering her fingers, Agnes pointed her index finger at the finger who answered. "You are correct, Blanche."

Serene began to be in a confusion about the discussion the maidens were talking about as both her eyebrows arched.

"They say there are victims of vampires at every Estates. And there I thought it was only a myth." Agnes whispers at the two, fearing vampires may hear them.

"So it is? When did it all begin?" Blanche asked surprised by the current information.

"Yesterday night, there was a woman found lying cold on one of the dimmed streets from the Smith Estate. Her face had turned purple and the paramedics said she had suffered a severe loss of blood."

Serene's head bolted up as soon as she heard her fiancé's estate. "Vampires, they say? At the Smith's?" She asked in a low tone towards Eresia yet Eresia only stared at the bell with a neutral expression on her face.

"Have you heard about this, Eresia?" Serene asked her sister.

Eresia could only sigh in exhaustion, grabbing her sister's arm from the counter and dragging her outside the shop which confuses Serene more. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Eresia only rolled her eyes heavenwards as she began walking as Serene follows. "They were only talking nonsense. I couldn't believe you are that susceptible to being fooled by mere words."

The vampires that Serene reads from their library had let her guard down only to believe that the vampires were true.